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Two of Kentucky State University’s (KSU) very own won first place in their respective categories at the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) Mid-South Region Student Auditions competition on March 28 – 29, 2025.

Four students of Assistant Professor of Voice, Dr. Bryan Bolzenthal, participated at the Kentucky-Tennessee district competition which welcomed over 200 singers from the region to compete in 14 categories.

Zania Tutwiler won first place in category 7 - upper undergraduate women, music theater and Marcus Wilkerson won first place in category 14 - upper division men, classical.

Tutwiler, a recent music major graduate from KSU, said, “I love [that I graduated as a music major from KSU]. I think we are often looked at as underdogs, but I think the talent we have is absolutely phenomenal, especially over the past few years. It makes me feel good that I can go out and show that.”

“[Winning] affirms all of my hard work and hardship that got me to this point. It was encouraging on a number of fronts, but, for the most part, it really solidified that I have a voice worthy of someone to hear,” said Wilkerson.

Both students Genesis Hatchett and Essence Kimbrough also advanced to the semifinals in category 5 – lower undergraduate women, classical.

“I gained confidence from [this experience]. At first, I was afraid to sing in front of professional singers, but now I know that I can sing in front of anyone with confidence,” said Kimbrough.

“Even though [Essence and I] did not win first place, it was just nice to see how far we’ve come and to listen to where we started…,” said Hatchett.

“I could not be prouder of these singers, and it is a testament to the amount of talent that we have in the music department. These students are future professional singers and teachers in our communities,” said Dr. Bolzenthal.